Give God no rest

Posted on April 27, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6–7, NASB95)

God is challenging believers to give God no rest until He establishes Jerusalem as a praise in the earth.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we are taught to pray, “your kingdom come.” This a petition that fulfils the command to give God no rest.

When I read about terrorists blowing themselves up, I can respond in fear, or I can follow Jesus’ suggestion to pray, “your kingdom come.” When I read of political leaders’ corruption, I can leave it in God’s hands by praying for the return of Jesus to set things right. When I consider my own failings, I can pray, “your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

We are invited to be bold before God. We are invited to plead for the establishment of peace.

One definition of gossip is telling a story to someone who cannot influence the outcome of that story. So when I complain about world events to someone who cannot change those events, it is like I am gossiping. The problem with gossip is that it riles up the hearer and does nothing to solve the problem.

It is better to bring the problem to the one who can fix it. This makes sense, but I often forget to do this.

This is why Isaiah’s reminder is so important. God is telling us that he wants us to bring our concerns to him. He wants us to pray for, long for, a day of ultimate peace. He wants us to beg for the ultimate establishment of his kingdom.

Let’s start begging.

Whence the lack of peace?

Posted on October 24, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

“And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”” (Luke 7:50, ESV)

Peace is the one thing that is lacking in many churches today. Perhaps it is because it is one thing that is lacking in many believers today. Maybe I am projecting this on others because of a lack of peace in my own life, but I think not. Very few of us, including Christians, exude a sense of peace and calm.

Notice that Jesus does not say, “your service has saved you, go in peace.” Nor does he say, “your confident statements about the quality and quantity of your faith have saved you.” It is the woman’s faith that is demonstrated by her actions that have saved her.

The result of that faith should be peace.

Why, then, is peace missing from the Christian experience?

One reason I have observed is that I place unrealistic expectations on myself and others as to how a Christian should behave. Any time you begin a sentence with “Good Christians don’t . . .” or “Good Christians do . . .” stop and reevaluate what you are about to say. Those unrealistic expectations lead to frustration that will destroy peace.

Another reason for a lack of peace is a distorted view of the Gospel. When I understand the enormity of the debt I owed but could not pay, and further understand that Jesus has satisfied that debt, it should bring a great relief that leads to peace. Yet, perhaps because I think myself better than I am, I attempt to earn enough to satisfy my own debt. This is a little like a child breaking his piggy bank to pay the trillions of dollars of debt that irresponsible politicians have accrued.

Tim Keller has given a short summary of the Gospel that I have found helpful. I may not have it word-for-word because I cannot remember where I found it, but it goes something like this:

I am more deeply flawed than I ever dared believe, but I am more deeply loved than I ever thought possible.

Faith brings us under the umbrella of that love, a love that cannot be put off by our flaws.

That understanding should allow us to go in peace.

How can we coexist?

Posted on February 5, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

This is the 20th post in the Sermon on the Mount Series.

“Give peace a chance” “Coexist” You’ve probably seen bumper stickers with similar sentiments.

The problem is that evil is a reality that must be dealt with. Some men (or women) will seek to dominate others through force or intimidation. Even a casual investigation into the history of man provides ample evidence of this. An ever so small slice of the news is sufficient to prove the reality of evil.

One response to evil is to lash back to hurt the perpetrator of that evil. This seems to be the default response in the human heart. This is illustrated by what Sean Connery says in the Untouchables, “They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.”

Religious and irreligious systems have both perpetuated this response to evil. One need look no further than the Middle East for many examples of religion responding to evil in kind. But religion is not alone in this. Marxist states and other totalitarian systems are equally guilty.

It is likely that we agree on the sentiment behind these bumper stickers, by on what basis can we coexist? Where do we find the power to forgive and bring healing when evil strikes? How can evil be overcome without further violence?

To not respond in kind to evil requires a sense of delayed gratification. The one who does not respond must feel that it is better in the long run for him to let the evil go without revenge.

For the Christian, the idea that God will ultimately set everything right forms the basis on which we can turn the other cheek. Jesus goes so far as to tell us that we are blessed if we are persecuted or insulted (Matthew 5:10-11).

I am not saying that Christians are the only ones that can practice forgiveness and be peacemakers. I am also not saying that Christians have always done this well. We have struggled with this from the foundation of the Church.

I am saying that Jesus makes a compelling case as to why we should be forgiving and pursuing peace.

The struggle comes in the moment by moment decisions that need to be made. Do I complain about the boss to a coworker? Do I share a tidbit that I heard on the radio (and did not verify) about a politician with whom I do not agree? Do I use my words to build up or tear down? I have ample opportunities to practice peace making.

A couple of thoughts regarding peacemaking come to mind. First, our peacemaking should not be based on denial of the evil. Paul tells us to be angry without sinning (Eph. 4:26), thus indicating that there are legitimate reasons to be angry. The second thought is that I do not have to rely on my own strength and wisdom to be a peacemaker. Jesus promised that we would have help:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,” (John 14:15–16, ESV)

The core issue for me in being a peacemaker is whether or not I trust God enough to leave it in his hands. My failures at peacemaking indicate that often I do not have sufficient trust. But, it is growing . . .

It’s not about do’s and don’ts

Posted on December 21, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22, NASB)

The negative command is to flee youthful lusts, but Paul goes on to give a positive one. Youthful lusts are to be replaced by the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love and peace. The negative command cannot be successfully accomplished unless the positive one is employed.

Too often we think of the Christian life in terms of the things we will not do. When this mindset is operational it is easy to become upset at the world all around us who is doing those very things. It is too easy to decry the degradation in the surrounding culture and long for the good old days where such behavior was not tolerated.

Instead of focusing on the negative, Paul gives us something to pursue. Rather than suppressing passions, Paul gives a worthy object for our passions.

Righteousness

When I see the word righteousness, I think of right standing before God. The beginning of this process is when we acknowledge our unrighteousness and accept God’s provision of Jesus as the means of our inheriting righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). At the moment we accept God’s provision, we are declared righteous.

There is also an ongoing component to righteousness. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Elsewhere, Paul uses the analogy of clothing when he tells us to “put off” the old self (Eph. 4:22, Col. 2:11, Col 3:9). The follow-up is to put on the new man and live in obedience to God.

It took a long time for me to understand that this is more than adherence to a list of do’s and don’ts. To really pursue righteousness is to cultivate a deeper relationship with God through the reading of Scripture, prayer and fellowship with other believers. As I deepen in my relationship with God, it becomes less and less about external behavior and more and more about what motivates me and where my desires will lead. Righteousness is all about letting God be in control.

Faith

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we enter into a relationship with God through faith. Yet that faith can and should grow. On multiple occasions, Jesus challenged his followers because of their “little faith.” The implication is that Jesus’ follower should move beyond the little faith stage to a robust, mature faith.

I am challenged by those who seem to be gifted with great faith. Seeing those, I realize that I have so much room to grow in my own faith.

Love

Jesus told us that the two great commands are to love God and to love our neighbor. I cannot claim to be proficient at either of these and have much room for growth. I suspect that none of us can claim to have fulfilled either command to perfection. To pursue love, selfless love, is a worthy occupation.

Peace

In human terms we think of peace as the absence of conflict. Yet this is not true peace. As Jesus points out in the Sermon on the Mount, hate is the root of murder and to hate is to commit murder without actually killing my adversary.

True peace is not only what happens on the outside. True peace must take place in our thoughts and emotions. Paul gives us indication of how true peace starts in Romans 5:1, it starts with “having been justified by faith.” This faith brings peace with God which can then begin to produce peace with ourselves and with others.

Conclusion

The Christian life should be so much more than following a list of do’s and don’ts. It should be so much more than a set of passionless rituals. A real walk with God should engage our mind and emotions in a pursuit of the things of God.